Read all about me….

John Lennon:Even though I am a writer I find it very difficult to express into words the profound effect John Lennon has had on my life. Of course I loved his music but the man offered the world so much more. One of the many things I liked about John was his ability to deliver exquisite and/or comical off-the-cuff remarks. On the subject of death John once quoted: “I’m not afraid of death because I don’t believe in it. It’s just getting out of one car, and into another”. If you were correct John sit back and enjoy the drive!

The Beatles:Of course John was one of the Liverpool quartet that was appropriately dubbed” The Fab Four”. I remember when I was about 9 or 10 my sister got hold of the red-coloured 1962-1966 album which blasted out all of their hits from that period and I instantly fell in love with the music, especially the distinct voices, harmonies and catchy melodies. Then I was delighted when a complete showing of Beatles films was aired for the Christmas season which further cemented my love of this amazing group that shook the world. I was particularly excited by the b&w clipping from A Hard Days Night when the boys perform “I Should Have Known Better” in a train carriage with the enigmatic Lennon playing harmonica and delivering a more than impressive vocal. Sadly in the following December of 1980 John was cruelly taken from this world but I, like many others, was firmly destined to keep the flame alive by listening to Beatles music for the rest of my days.

George Michael:Again this guy is big on melody and OMG what a voice! I recall in 1984 walking past the HMV record shop in Birmingham and hearing the saxophone part spilling out of the doorway into the street. That song and that artist (including in the collective sense when George was in Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley) was the first serious contender to turn my head and encourage me to listen to something else other than Beatles records. And to still be at the top of his game over a period of four decades George must be doing something right!

Elvis Presley:What can I say Elvis was the full package and the real deal! The greatest ever voice and bundles of charisma.

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FOOTBALL

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Simply the best football team in the world. (Its not all about winnning trophies you know!)

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VISION

Oliver Reed: When I watchOliver Reed on the screen I can’t keep my eyes off him. The way he carried himself and delivered his lines, at times via nothing more than a mesmerising whisper, I am simply drawn to his presence. His superb performance in Hammer’s The Curse of The Werewolf helped encourage me to become interested in the supernatural. In addition to his fine and often underestimated acting skills I admired Oliver for the entertainment he brought us off the screen as much as he brought us on it. Ollie was a true hell-raiser and few celebrity wannabees can hold a candle to the master. His autobiography Reed All About Me is a very entertaining read and if Beneath The Floodlights should ever make it to the silver screen he would have made a fantastic Cezar Prodanescu. Although Ollie left this world far too soon I’m glad he went out the way I’m sure he would have wished: drinking in a bar full of friends.

Quentin Tarantino: Simply a genius. The excellent film From Dusk till Dawn (along with another vampire flick: The Lost Boys) helped inspire me to write my vampire novel Beneath The Floodlights. Tarantino’s other body of work is just as impressive with films like Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill (I & II) and nobody does it like Quentin.

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LITERATURE

Dan Brown:Brown is the master of the page turning novel and when I read novels like Angels and Demons or The Da Vinci Code I simply can’t put the book down. His approach to his writing and fantastic subject matters helped inspire me to begin to write novels.

Peter James: I really admire this author of the Roy Grace series and many other novels . I like the way Peter isn’t afraid to inject elements of the supernatural into his work with the skill and ability to keep his novels believable.

Richard Laymon: For me the greatest horror writer that ever lived. The Traveling Vampire Show was another source of inspiration for me to decide to write a vampire novel.

Haruki Murakami: A Japanese author with an amazing brain. Besides how could I not admire an author who named one of his novels Norwegian Wood.